✡️ IDF’s stockpiles depleted, Israel woefully unprepared for new

✡️ IDF’s stockpiles depleted, Israel woefully unprepared for new regional war - report

🗣 Israel would not have been able to continue its two-year, “eight front” regional war without extensive US assistance, with limited weapons and munitions, planning flaws and issues associated with the IDF’s “small and smart army” concept leaving the country unprepared for a new round of regional escalation, defense officials have told Ynet.

Per the outlet’s surprisingly frank report:

♦️ In October 2023, the IDF was ready for a 1-1.5 month conflict at most, and limited to Gaza and Lebanon

♦️ The delivery of 900+ cargo planes and 150 supply ships’ worth of assistance, mostly by the US, kept Israel afloat, but “even that was insufficient, as many weapons and platforms produced domestically were in short supply”

♦️ Senior officials emphasized the need to build up inventories of sophisticated systems including helicopters, tanks, armored vehicles, helicopters and precision munitions

♦️ Iran’s asymmetric approach during back and forth exchanges is also apparently an issue – with Israel forced to outspend the Islamic Republic 10-to-1 and intercepting Iranian missiles that cost $400k to make using Arrow 3 interceptor missiles which cost “$3M and take months to produce”

♦️ Besides Gaza and Lebanon, Israeli planners reportedly fear Turkiye’s “growing influence in Syria,” and the prospect of “Turkish-backed militias…near Israel’s northern border” (so much for Assad’s ouster solving Israel’s concerns) and Jordan’s possible evolution “into a strategic threat” due to instability

♦️ “We are facing a fundamental shift in the Middle East. The added funds we received are far from sufficient,” commanders warned in Ynet’s report

♦️ The Israeli government raised next year’s defense budget by $12.5B in July – which is nearly 1/3 more than its $33.5B defense budget this year – which represents about 9% of Israel’s GDP. It’s not clear where besides the US the Israeli defense establishment could get its additional funds.

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